Sun - Differential Rotation Unfolds Giant Solar Filaments
Taken by Alessandro Ravagnin on May 28, 2026 @
Italy - Romano d'Ezzelino
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Date Taken: 2026:05:29 12:07:35
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Details:
This composite image combines daily H-alpha spectroheliographic observations acquired between May 16 and May 28, 2026, during Carrington Rotation 2310. The observations were obtained from my backyard observatory in Italy using a Tecnosky 115/800 mm refractor, an SHG700 spectroheliograph, and a ZWO ASI183MM camera.
Each horizontal strip represents the solar chromosphere observed on a different day. When assembled into a single composite, the image reveals the remarkable evolution of large-scale filament systems over nearly two weeks.
The most striking feature is the behavior of the northern-hemisphere filaments. As time progresses, these elongated magnetic structures gradually open like a fan and become increasingly stretched in longitude. This is a direct consequence of the Sun's differential rotation: equatorial regions rotate faster than higher latitudes, continuously shearing and deforming magnetic structures anchored at different solar latitudes.
The image provides a rare visual demonstration of differential rotation acting on the chromosphere itself. Rather than simply tracking the motion of sunspots, it reveals how the Sun's magnetic skeleton is slowly reshaped over time by the varying rotation rates across the solar surface.
The complete observing campaign consisted of 21 consecutive days of H-alpha observations and was also used to reconstruct heliographic maps of the solar chromosphere covering an entire Carrington rotation.
Photographer's website:
https://astrotrex.wordpress.com/2026/06/07/chasing-the-sun/#english
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